Principle cells of the immune system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Principle cells of the immune system - Essay Example Three of such principal cells of the immune system are lymphocytes, antigens, and effector cells. Below, brief descriptions of the roles of these three cells in immune response are discussed. Lymphocytes have been noted to be cells that emanate from stem cells within the larger immune system. As far as immune response is concerned, the lymphocytes take charge of the adaptive response (Guermonprez et al., 2012). For this to happen, there are a series of functional activities that come together. Working together with specific receptors, the lymphocytes function towards the recognition of specific antigens that enter the body. Consequently, the effect of antigens in the body would be hampered if the lymphocytes are not functioning properly. Bryant, Trinder and Curtis (2004) also noted that one the lymphocytes emanate from the stem cells, they go on to form three different populations of cells which are B cells, T cells and natural killer (NK). Of the three however, it is the B and T cells that take part in the adaptive immunity as NK cells function as innate immunity. The B cells for example produce antibodies, whiles the T cells engage in cell-mediated immunity (Guermonpre z et al., 2012). The second principal cells are the antigen presenting cells, which have the core role of aiding the lymphocytes to undertake the adaptive response. In some cases therefore, the antigen presenting cells are considered to be also responsible for adaptive response. The antigen presenting cells function by bringing antigens to the lymphocytes. Writing on the anatomy of the immune system, Zen and Parkos (2003) indicated that the location of the antigen presenting cells (APC) makes it very convenient for it to play its role. This is because these APCs are found in the periphery. From this location, they are able to examine the tissues to identify antigens. One major difference between the function of the lymphocytes and APCs is

Economic development Essay Example for Free

Economic development Essay Population growth Ââ€" some Filipinos believe that it is natural for every married woman to bear a child in their wombs because they are with their husbands. And this are very wrong beliefs since if you will be reasonable enough, you will realize that having a child is always together with great responsibility that has no end. And that you will realize that having more and more children will cause great scarcity in your family such as you would not be able to send your children to school and you would not be able to provide enough foods so that you children will be healthy and do good in school. Population growth is also the reason for a number of malnourish children in the Philippines. 2. Unemployment Ââ€" this is a very common cause of poverty in the Philippines since there are several Filipinos who are unemployed plus the fact that there are many companies that are affected of the global economic crisis. And the least thing that you can do about unemployment is to find a best way on generating money like you can accept laundry services, plumbing services, or electrical repair services if you are skilled enough to do the job. Then, you could start a certain profitable business like food house or a small store that does not require you much capital so that you will not find it hard to save enough money from the services that you are offering. 3. Governance concern Ââ€" one of the main reasons of poverty in the Philippines is the activities of the corrupt government officials. They are using the money of the people to achieve the power and authority that they wanted to have and once they have it they will automatically take advantage of their power to the point that they will neglect the yoke of the people and set aside their promises when they are just campaigning and try to convince the people to vote for them. 4. Agricultural problems Ââ€" this is the natural cause of the poverty in the Philippines that is because of the wrong activities of people. They ruin the treasure of the nature for their own sake without any idea that the nature they are destroying is the main source of almost all the products that exist in this world. Some of the examples of destroying the nature are the irresponsible disposal of wastes and trash, dynamite fishing, illegal logging and more. 5. Disability Ââ€" this is also one of the possible causes of poverty in the Philippines since more and more people nowadays become disabled because of several illnesses and diseases that arise like AH1N1 virus, SARS, dengue, and more. Disability may be also caused by uncontrolled population growth, for instance, you have ten kids in the house, and can you imagine attending to their needs everyday? Well, definitely not so the tendency is that they are prone to accidents that will cause them to be disabled since they are at very young age that are typically playful. RECOMMENDATION The World Bank suggests several solutions to combat poverty in the Philippines. 1. There is a need to have a strong focus on continued economic growth, driven by openness and macroeconomic stability. 2. Increased market access to the poor could be achieved by promoting tenancy, market-based land reform, and investing in essential rural infrastructure and agriculture extension services. 3. The scarcity of housing and threats to environmental health in urban areas could be reduced by promoting urban land reform and extending water and sanitation services. 4. Quality improvements in primary education and access to primary health services such as immunization and the prevention of water-borne and respiratory diseases are needed. 5. Social safety net programs can be rationalized and the targeting improved by strengthening institutional capacity building and eliminating food price subsidies in favor of targeted income subsidies or food stamps. Some of widely accepted principles in the mainstream development community, at the three descending levels of the world as a whole, Asia as a region, and the Philippines specifically. All three share in common placing poverty reduction at the core of development work. Philippines Level: The Arroyo administrations official development agenda focuses specifically on issues of poverty and unemployment. The key document here is the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP), 2001-2004, which stresses poverty reduction through equitable growth, rural development, and social sector investment. The four primary strategies are: †¢ Macroeconomic stability and equitable growth, using sound fiscal and monetary policies to keep inflation low and avoid surges in unemployment; modernize all sectors through HR development and technology; †¢ Comprehensive HR development, basic education, health, shelter, water, electricity; safety nets for most vulnerable sectors; encouraging poor to participate There are many causes of economic difficulties leading to mass poverty and hunger. One cause could be foreign debts servicing. This means that the Philippines must owe money to the World Bank. More than 60% of the Philippines budget goes to the World Bank. Unequal distribution of land and other resources is another cause that leads to poverty. Out of the whole population, only 20% own and control agricultural lands. Another cause could be under cultivation of agricultural lands. Only 13 million hectares are cultivated. There are about 17 million hectares of land that are not being used. There is a lot of poverty in the Philippines. Some people, called squatters, live near trash mounds and scavenge through the rubble to find materials that they can re-sell. Many are living in extreme poverty and unsanitary conditions. One of the effects this impoverished lifestyle has on them is an extremely short life expectancy. But there are some rays of hope. For one, slow but steady economic improvements are providing jobs in places like call centers. Secondly, charitable organizations like the Philippine Aid Society are growing and working hard to fight poverty. For those who want to do their part to help, consider a financial donation to one of these charities.

William Shakespeares Macbeth Essay -- William Shakespeare macbeth lad

William Shakespeare's Macbeth During the Elizabethan era, the great chain of being reigned. Women were low on this chain of power, and men were on top. In fact, women were below horses; you couldn’t live without a good horse, but, you could live without a wife. Lady Macbeth was a woman before her time, she was caught between being today’s ambitious, powerful modern woman and a fragile creature of the Elizabethan era. In the first four acts of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is vicious, overly ambitious, without conscience, and willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants. In this case, she wants to become Queen of Scotland.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "Whiles I stood rapt in the/ wonder of it, came missives from the king, who all-/ hailed me, ‘Thane of Cawdor’; by which title, before,/ these weird sisters saluted me, and referred me to the/ coming on of time, with ‘Hail, King that shalt be!’/ This have I thought good to deliver thee, my dearest/ partner of greatness; that thou mightest not lose the/ dues of rejoicing, by being ignorant of what greatness/ is promised thee. " (I v, 5-13).Because Lady Macbeth is a woman, she does not have the strength in her female frame, either in heart, body nor mind to carry out the deed of killing the King. Therefore, she calls upon the aid of the supernatural to give her male powers, so that she may have the gall to go through with the plan to murder the King, and allow Macbeth to obtain the throne. "The raven himself is hoarse/ That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan/ Under my battlements. Come, you spirits/ That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,/ And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full/ Of direst cruelty! Make thick my blood,/ Stop up the access and passage to remorse,/ That no compunctious visitings of nature/ Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between/ The effect and it! Come to my woman’s breasts,/ And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers,/ Wherever in your sightless substances/ You wait on natures’s mischief! Come thick night,/ and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,/ That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,/ Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark,/ To cry ‘Hold, hold!’" (I v, 41-57)"Man: a human male, or human kind. Women have always been considered as the gentler and fair sex. Lady Macbeth feels that to commit this crime, she must become as cruel as she believes men are. Sh... ...and womanly nature had been worked up to a concentration and high tension which could not endure for long." (Shakespeare Criticism- Freud on the Macbeths). Lady Macbeth is a powerful character who goes from a rise to power to a fall of mental illness brought on by guilt. She was caught between two time periods, that of the Elizabethan era and modern day. Works Cited Harbrace Shakespeare. Macbeth. Ed. Margaret Kortes. Harcourt Brace: Canada, 1988.William Shakespeare Criticism- Freud on the Macbeths (from Some Character-Types Met With in Psycho-Analytical Work; 1916). <a href="http://sunflower.singnet.com.sg/~yisheng/notes/shakespere/mbeth_f.htm">http://sunflower.singnet.com.sg/~yisheng/notes/shakespere/mbeth_f.htmLady Macbeth- Character Changes Throughout the Play PlanetPapers.com. <a href="http://www.plantpapers.com/count.cgi?ID=1790">http://www.plantpapers.com/count.cgi?ID=1790The Rise and Fall of Lady Macbeth <a href="http://www.aurora.komux.norrkoping.se/oxford/litera/tim/links.htm">http://www.aurora.komux.norrkoping.se/oxford/litera/tim/links.htmMacbeth SparkNotes Online Study Guides <a href=http://www.sparknotes.com">http://www.sparknotes.com William Shakespeare's Macbeth Essay -- William Shakespeare macbeth lad William Shakespeare's Macbeth During the Elizabethan era, the great chain of being reigned. Women were low on this chain of power, and men were on top. In fact, women were below horses; you couldn’t live without a good horse, but, you could live without a wife. Lady Macbeth was a woman before her time, she was caught between being today’s ambitious, powerful modern woman and a fragile creature of the Elizabethan era. In the first four acts of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is vicious, overly ambitious, without conscience, and willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants. In this case, she wants to become Queen of Scotland.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "Whiles I stood rapt in the/ wonder of it, came missives from the king, who all-/ hailed me, ‘Thane of Cawdor’; by which title, before,/ these weird sisters saluted me, and referred me to the/ coming on of time, with ‘Hail, King that shalt be!’/ This have I thought good to deliver thee, my dearest/ partner of greatness; that thou mightest not lose the/ dues of rejoicing, by being ignorant of what greatness/ is promised thee. " (I v, 5-13).Because Lady Macbeth is a woman, she does not have the strength in her female frame, either in heart, body nor mind to carry out the deed of killing the King. Therefore, she calls upon the aid of the supernatural to give her male powers, so that she may have the gall to go through with the plan to murder the King, and allow Macbeth to obtain the throne. "The raven himself is hoarse/ That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan/ Under my battlements. Come, you spirits/ That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,/ And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full/ Of direst cruelty! Make thick my blood,/ Stop up the access and passage to remorse,/ That no compunctious visitings of nature/ Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between/ The effect and it! Come to my woman’s breasts,/ And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers,/ Wherever in your sightless substances/ You wait on natures’s mischief! Come thick night,/ and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,/ That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,/ Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark,/ To cry ‘Hold, hold!’" (I v, 41-57)"Man: a human male, or human kind. Women have always been considered as the gentler and fair sex. Lady Macbeth feels that to commit this crime, she must become as cruel as she believes men are. Sh... ...and womanly nature had been worked up to a concentration and high tension which could not endure for long." (Shakespeare Criticism- Freud on the Macbeths). Lady Macbeth is a powerful character who goes from a rise to power to a fall of mental illness brought on by guilt. She was caught between two time periods, that of the Elizabethan era and modern day. Works Cited Harbrace Shakespeare. Macbeth. Ed. Margaret Kortes. Harcourt Brace: Canada, 1988.William Shakespeare Criticism- Freud on the Macbeths (from Some Character-Types Met With in Psycho-Analytical Work; 1916). <a href="http://sunflower.singnet.com.sg/~yisheng/notes/shakespere/mbeth_f.htm">http://sunflower.singnet.com.sg/~yisheng/notes/shakespere/mbeth_f.htmLady Macbeth- Character Changes Throughout the Play PlanetPapers.com. <a href="http://www.plantpapers.com/count.cgi?ID=1790">http://www.plantpapers.com/count.cgi?ID=1790The Rise and Fall of Lady Macbeth <a href="http://www.aurora.komux.norrkoping.se/oxford/litera/tim/links.htm">http://www.aurora.komux.norrkoping.se/oxford/litera/tim/links.htmMacbeth SparkNotes Online Study Guides <a href=http://www.sparknotes.com">http://www.sparknotes.com

Belonging Different Aspects

Ruby Langford’s Autobiography extract shows us different aspects of belonging than Winton’s story. Explain this. There are a substantial amount of aspects that correlate and contrast with the theme of belonging in various texts. Although our sense of belonging is vital for our survival and existence, everyone has their own approach to belonging and define it in their own way. The extract â€Å"why we didn’t assimilate† by Ruby Langford explores belonging from the eyes of an aborigine woman and how she is affected by the society that surrounds her.Tim Winton’s short story The Water’s Edge and this extract share similarities and differences in language techniques, but more importantly, they contrast in how they approach belonging and what it is to have a strong sense of belonging. Ruby Langford’s extract begins with her moving to green valley, a place widely populated with white people. Amongst this white residence there is a designated house made just for aboriginal residence. They were forced to live there due to the government policy of integration/assimilation, they â€Å"belonged† there.Belonging cannot be ordered, or directed by government policy it arises from deep sharing of values. The title of the extract â€Å"why we didn’t assimilate† confirms this. Ruby â€Å"felt very isolated from [her] friends and culture. All [her] neighbors were white†. She felt alienated by the rules of living in a housing commission house especially the rule about guests â€Å"the rule was useless in our culture†. Ruby ignored these rules as; in order to belong we fulfill ourselves not pretend to be someone else. The girl from the water’s edge (in order to fulfill herself) swam into the dark ocean.Just as ruby ignored these rules, the protagonist in waters edge rejects her mother because her mother and the (government in the extract) are trying to make them something they are not. They r ebel in order to find a stronger sense of belonging. The clear contrast between the two texts can be seen through their perceptions of the idea of belonging to a family. The water’s edge is all about losing these family connections while the extract suggests that family bonds will only strengthen belonging. This is seen through how both authors describe family through language used.The protagonist from water’s edge â€Å"just wished her mother would put the bottles away†. The qualifier ‘just’ indicates an impatience with and intolerance of her mother. This is supported with her judgment that her mother was either â€Å"sick or stupid†. This juxtaposes with â€Å"when the kids asked why I was crying†¦we hugged each other†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the strong sense of family is clearly seen in the extract. The young girl in Winton’s short story challenges conventional belonging to her mother and becomes attached to nature and believes that only the strong survive.Another thing to notice is that Winton’s story is built on anonymity while a lot of names are used in the extract; their belonging is based on family while the girl thinks she can make it on her own. The mother and the protagonist don’t even make conversation throughout the text, but the kids in the extract talk and interact with their mother to further exaggerate that belonging strengthens with strong connections with family. The tones used to illustrate belonging in both texts are different in terms of how their authors view belonging and what it takes to have a strong sense of belonging.In Langford’s extract, she uses first person narration and speaks to the reader as a friend â€Å"my first glimpse of the house left me with a lump in my throat†. Her voice is passive, conversational and resilient; we notice that there is depth in her character and her ability to create a place of belonging in a predominantly white area. She has a ve ry authentic voice â€Å"I was dying to see another black face†¦someone to pass the time of day and yarn with†, she uses ordinary idioms and this narrative voice keeps us very close to her viewpoint.This contrasts with Winton’s use of third person narration and focalized narration to describe the girl’s point of view. The protagonist’s judgment that her mother was either â€Å"sick or stupid† is an example of focalized narration, this allows Winton to keep us emotionally distant from the reader yet allow us to understand her frustration. Winton described the girl’s emotions differently because by rejecting her mother (her family) she could be edging the point of alienation in the fluid continuum of belonging.Both The Water’s Edge and Why we didn’t assimilate creatively explore senses of belonging. Through exploration and interpretation of the text, I have discovered a vast array of representations of belonging. Through con trasting both texts I have discovered the different aspects that belonging can have and how in some cases it can be complex. Winton’s text explores how someone can belong to something more than family and Langford’s extract shows the strength that comes from belonging to a family. By considering these aspects of belonging we are enlightened.

Men and Women in Society

Well obviously, men and women are different. In society however men and women play very different roles. Used to be, men were looked at as the dominant one in a relationship and society. Now a day women are becoming dominant in more ways than one. For example, in the job world, government, relationships, freedom, and sex are just some of the categories that women have risen in, in society. More women are in positions of power and authority.Even though, because of the past, men and women will never be treated the same, in society mostly men and women are treated fairly equal. There is little to no discrimination in the job field or the government against women in society. Men are still usually looked at as a higher class than women but that is just because of the past events that have happened in society. The world is becoming an all-around equal place. The history of women in the American labor force has been shaped by diverse cultural, legal, demographic, and ethno-racial influences .Like men, women in preindustrial America contributed to their household and community economies through paid and unpaid labor, but the material rewards of their labor were limited by cultural beliefs, social practices, and laws that subordinated women to men. Except by special legal arrangement, married women could not sign labor contracts, own property, or claim their own wages. Some women did work for wages, but those who did, even unmarried women and widows, clustered in lower-paying occupations and earned lower wages than men.Initially, these conditions were reproduced, and even accentuated, as the industrial economy developed. As families became more dependent on cash for survival, free women (as well as free men) increased their participation in the paid labor force. Especially numerous as seamstresses in the needle trades and in domestic work, women were also essential to the emerging factories. Other women worked as members of â€Å"family† production units (in shoem aking or retail shops, for example) and as homeworkers in textiles, shoes, or other products–patterns of work that still persist.Laws granting married women legal rights to their wages and to property became common only in the late nineteenth century. The growing identification of men as â€Å"breadwinners† and the rise of an urban middle class (with its status-conscious emphasis on the â€Å"lady of leisure†) further reinforced the tendency to view women as secondary wage-earners, regardless of their actual contributions to family survival. From the late nineteenth century onward, U. S. -born white women enjoyed steadily expanding access to nonagricultural and nonindustrial occupations. They increasingly found jobs as office clerks and secretaries and in retailing.Benefiting from expanded educational opportunities, white, middle-class women in the late nineteenth century entered the professions in growing numbers, initially as teachers, librarians, social worke rs, and nurses, and later in a variety of career paths, from firefighting and police work to the law, medicine, the ministry, higher education, and in the corporate world. Historically, patterns of participation in the paid labor force have varied dramatically by marital status as well as by ethnicity and nativity. â€Å"Until the 1930s, most wage-earning women were unmarried.As late as 1960, only one-third of married women were gainfully employed–a figure that obscures a common pattern of irregular yet continuing labor-force participation. Only in the late twentieth century did that pattern decisively shift. In 1997, 61. 3 percent of married women were in the labor force† (Boydston). Although only in the late twentieth century did most labor unions show an interest in organizing female workers, women in the paid labor force long constituted an aggressive force for reform. In the government of the U. S. women, such as Hilary Clinton, are just as strong and knowledgeabl e as men.Women have run for president, there has been a woman as secretary of state, as have many other women who have been incorporated into the government staff. Men have always been involved in the government. The obvious facts of this are all of the male presidents that have been in office, there has never been a female president, not to say that there never will be. There will be, one day, a women in office running the United States. â€Å"In the 1995 World Conference on Women, 189 governments committed to â€Å"ensure women’s equal access to and full participation in power structures and decision-making. To fulfill this strategic objective, governments also pledged to establish the goal of â€Å"gender balance in governmental bodies and committees as well as in public administrative entities and in the judiciary. † Six years later, not much has changed – women’s representation in politics remains dismally low. †(UNDP 2). â€Å"Today women a re only 13. 7 percent of parliaments worldwide according to data collected by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, a mere 0. 6 percent increase annually. In the Asia Pacific, women are 14. 2 percent of national parliaments† (UNDP 1).At this rate, it will take 75 years before women attain equal representation in national governments. At the local level, the situation is no different – women make up a small percentage of legislative councils and other local bodies in most countries in the world. Only Sweden, Denmark and Finland in Europe have reached a critical mass of 30 percent women in local governments, while South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago come close at 28 and 23 percent respectively. In the Asia Pacific, women’s representation in local governments has ranged from a low two percent to a high 30 percent (e. . India, Bangladesh and New Zealand)(UNDP 2-3). Even though women are told that they are equal in the government, according to the facts, they really are not . There are the obvious difference about men and women and sex, but men and women have different characteristics when it comes to sex. It probably won't surprise you to learn that researchers have found that men tend to initiate sex more frequently than do women. Researchers have also found that men tend to be more â€Å"goal oriented,† to consider the act of sex, especially orgasm, to be what love making is all about.Women, in contrast, tend to focus more on tenderness and the quality of their emotional relationship. Keep in mind that generalizations about human behavior, although true in the abstract, do not apply to individuals. Most men and women apparently have different emphases on sexual intercourse and emotional relationships, but any particular individual may vary from this tendency. A particular man, for example, may be more oriented toward intimacy, a particular woman toward having sex. Generalizations, then, can lead to stereotypes that paint everyone with the sam e broad brushstroke, causing us to overlook individual differences.One of the ways our culture inhibits women's sexuality is through stereotypes. A sexually promiscuous man is often looked up to by his friends. He is seen as a success in sexual matters, a conqueror, a sexual victor. In contrast, a woman who has many sexual partners is not as likely to be viewed in the same way. Questions are likely to be raised about why she is â€Å"like that. † People may refer to her by negative terms, such as whore. Although this double standard of stereotypes is easing, it persists. When it comes to virginity men and women typically re viewed different. Women expressed more positive feelings about their decision, and they were more apt to say they were proud or satisfied with their virginity. Men, in contrast, were more apt to say they felt embarrassed or even guilty about their virginity. The reason for this difference in attitude about virginity is likely due to gender roles, to differ ences about what is expected of men and women. There appears to be a general idea that if a woman is a virgin, she is one by choice, but if a man is a virgin, he has problems of some sort.It seems that a woman can wait for the right person, or for marriage, but a man ought to be seeking sex–and the more sex he has, the manlier he is. In short, being a virgin may challenge a man's masculinity, but not a woman's femininity. In relationships between men and women some say that men and women can just be friends. They way men chose their friends is not just my the female’s personality. A man choses his female friends by how attracted he is to them. Even if it is just a small attraction, its still there. A man isn’t going to initiate friendship with someone he deems â€Å"ugly†, or â€Å"unattractive†.The same goes for women. So, in essence men and women cannot just be friends. There is always something more there to tempt either the man or the women, wh ether he/she is in another relationship or not, to have some kind of whether it be physical or emotional connection with that â€Å"friend†. When polled, 58% said yes , and 42% said no men and women cannot just be friends ( Friends). So really there are no definite answers to this question. Throughout history, women's rights have been the subject of much debate and controversy.The concept of a woman's ‘right' can take a variety of forms including voting, reproductive control, equality in the workplace and service in the military. In most societies the women's movement has faced opposition and equality has been hard won. Equal rights campaigners have championed the movement with the goal of establishing fair and comparable treatment for women under law. â€Å"Evidence dating from around 8500 B. C suggests that in Ancient Egyptian society's work was divided along gender lines with the women assuming agricultural duties and the men taking on the role of hunter/gathererâ⠂¬  (sampson).Progress has been made over the decades, but there is still debate over some aspects of women's rights and the extent to which they have effectively redressed the prior imbalance. In a 2009 report published by the Department of Labor, it is stated that on average women earn approximately 80 percent of the salary a man is paid for the same job. Whilst this is an improvement from 30 years before, when a woman earned 62 percent of a man's salary, it does still not represent full parity.Reproductive rights are also a contested issue with opinions divided on whether abortion should remain legal. †In a 2009 poll by CBS news, 23 percent of respondents believed abortion should be illegal versus 34 percent fully supportive of abortion without constraint, and 40 percent in favor of keeping the practice legal but with stricter controls† (Sampson). Even though women have rose in society there is always that barrier that was created long ago restricting some peopleâ₠¬â„¢s views of women’s’ freedom and power in society. Men and women also tend to handle different situations differently.Perhaps if something breaks, the woman is more apt to be calm about the situation when the man is more apt to have a complete melt down about the situation. When an argument happens and the man is wrong he backs down, when a woman is wrong she back tracks her point and somehow proves the man wrong, or so he thinks. When women are right they don’t boast or â€Å"rub it in† so to speak. When men are right they are the first ones to say â€Å"I told you so†. Are women naturally more risk-averse or less inclined to enter a competitive situation? Or are they trained to be that way?Why women and men might have different preferences or risk attitudes has been discussed but not tested by economists. Broadly speaking, those differences may be due to nurture, nature, or some combination of the two. For instance, boys are pushed to take ris ks and act competitively when participating in sports, and girls are often encouraged to remain cautious. Thus, the choices made by men could be due to the nurturing received from parents or peers. Similarly, the disinclination of women to take risks or act competitively could be the result of parental or peer pressure not to do so. Educational psychologists argue that the gendered aspect of individuals' behaviour is brought into play by the gender of others with whom they interact, and that there may be more pressure for girls to maintain their gender identity in schools where boys are present than for boys when girls are present. In a coeducational environment, girls are more explicitly confronted with adolescent subculture (such as personal attractiveness to members of the opposite sex) than they are in a single-sex environment. This may lead them to conform to society's expectations of how girls should behave to avoid social rejection. †( Booth).If competitive behaviour or risk avoidance is viewed as being a part of female gender identity, while risk-seeking is a part of male gender identity, then a coeducational school environment might lead girls to make less competitive and risky choices than boys. It is hypothesized that hypothesized that woman and men may differ in their propensity to choose a risky outcome for several reasons – innate references or because their innate preferences are modified by pressure to conform to gender-stereotypes. Single-sex environments are likely to modify students' risk-taking preferences in economically important ways.Our specific conjectures were that girls from single-sex schools are less risk averse than girls from coed schools, and that girls in same-gender groups are less risk averse than girls in coed groups. It has been conjectured that girls in same-gender environments (single-sex schooling or same-gender experimental groups) are no less risk-averse than boys. Naturally it is assumed that women are le ss risky than boys this is because the women always feels like she has to be the protector and if she is taking risks she is not able to protect the ones taking risks.

Conjugation of Regular Spanish Verbs in the Subjunctive Mood

Conjugation of Regular Spanish Verbs in the Subjunctive Mood Except for those rare few of us who can learn verb conjugations without effort, mastering them at some point will require rote memorization. While the verb forms can be confusing at first, with use they become natural as conjugations in the native tongue. The lists below show the forms of the subjunctive for regular verbs; see individual listings for irregular verbs. Translations are given for clarity in distinguishing the tenses; in real life, other translations can be used. Present subjunctive, regular -ar verbs: Remove the -o from the singular first-person indicative form and add the appropriate ending: -e, -es, -e, -emos, -à ©is, en. que yo hable (that I speak) que tà º hables (that you speak) que à ©l/ella/usted hable (that he/she/you speak) que nosotros/nosotras hablemos (that we speak) que vosotros/vosotras hablà ©is (that you speak) que ellos/ellas/ustedes hablen (that they/you speak) Present subjunctive, regular -er and -ir verbs: Remove the -o from the singular first-person indicative form and add the appropriate ending: -a, -as, -a, -amos, -is, an. que yo coma (that I eat) que tà º comas (that you eat) que à ©l/ella/usted coma (that he/she/you eat) que nosotros/nosotras comamos (that we eat) que vosotros/vosotras comis (that you eat) que ellos/ellas/ustedes coman (that they/you eat) Imperfect subjunctive of regular verbs: Remove the -on from the third-person indicative plural preterite form and add the appropriate ending: -a, -as, -a, -amos, -ais, an. Put the stress on the last syllable of the stem in the nosotros form. que yo hablara (that I spoke) que tà º hablaras (that you spoke) que à ©l/ella/usted hablara (that he/she/you spoke) que nosotros/nosotras hablramos (that we spoke) que vosotros/vosotras hablarais (that you spoke) que ellos/ellas/ustedes hablaran (that they/you spoke) que yo comiera (that I ate) que tà º comieras (that you ate) que à ©l/ella/usted comiera (that he/she/you ate) que nosotros/nosotras comià ©ramos (that we ate) que vosotros/vosotras comierais (that you ate) que ellos/ellas/ustedes comieran (that they/you ate) There is also a less common form of this tense that is used primarily in writing, especially literature. It is seldom heard in speech in most regions. It is conjugated as above, except the -ra- becomes -se-. It normally is not necessary to memorize this form, but you should be able to recognize it when you see it. que yo hablase (that I spoke) que tà º hablases (that you spoke) que à ©l/ella/usted hablase (that he/she/you spoke) que nosotros/nosotras hablsemos (that we spoke) que vosotros/vosotras hablaseis (that you spoke) que ellos/ellas/ustedes hablasen (that they/you spoke) que yo comiese (that I ate) que tà º comieses (that you ate) que à ©l/ella/usted comiese (that he/she/you ate) que nosotros/nosotras comià ©semos (that we ate) que vosotros/vosotras comieseis (that you ate) que ellos/ellas/ustedes comiesen (that they/you ate) Present perfect subjunctive: Use the present subjunctive form of haber (which is irregular) and follow it with the past participle. que yo haya salido (that I have left) que tà º hayas salido (that you have left) que à ©l/ella/you haya salido (that he/she/you have left) que nosotros hayamos salido (that we have left) que vosotros/vosotras hayis salido (that you have left) que ellos/ellas/ustedes hayan salido (that they/you have left) Past perfect subjunctive (pluperfect): Use the past subjunctive form of haber and follow it with the past participle. Although both the -ra and -se- forms of haber are possible, the former is more common and is shown below. que yo hubiera salido (that I had left) que tà º hubieras salido (that you had left) que à ©l/ella/usted hubiera salido (that he/she/you had left) que nosotros hubià ©ramos salido (that we had left) que vosotros/vosotras hubieris salido (that you had left) que ellos/ellas/ustedes hubieran salido (that they/you had left)

11 and Michael Moore †Intro to Film Essay

Fahrenheit 9/11 and Michael Moore – Intro to Film Essay Free Online Research Papers Fahrenheit 9/11 and Michael Moore Intro to Film Essay Michael Moore deals with the taboo subject of politics with his film Fahrenheit 9/11. This documentary uses the rhetorical form of film making as its main purpose is to persuade the viewer to agree with Moores point of view. Regardless, of ones political view, this film is not likely to leave the audience indifferent to the opinions portrayed in the movie. Fahrenheit 9/11 is a powerful movie that effectively gets Moores message across but what is it that make the film efficacious? There are several aspects of the film that should be considered in terms of its effectiveness. One is that the movie uses the rhetorical form which means the entire focus of the film is to convince the audience of something and it contains some powerful arguments. This film uses three types of arguments: from source, subject centered, viewer-centered arguments. Each one of these elements contributed to making this film and its message more compelling and credible and each one of these elements will be discussed in further detail after a brief summary of the movie is given. As previously mentioned, Fahrenheit 9/11 is Moore’s attempt to link the Bush administration to the tragic events of 9/11. Moore spends the first part of movie giving evidence of this connection, using documents, interviews, and news footage. Supposedly, there is major deceit and gross negligence on behalf of the current president that caused the terrorist attacks. With this premise, Moore narrates a convincing story. From here, Fahrenheit 9/11 explores the results of September 11, 2001 from the Patriot Act to airport security to the war in Iraq. The end of the movie ties both these aspects together by appealing to the viewer’s emotion with scenes of the poor, soldiers, and their families. The purpose of the film is to convince its audience of the Bush administration’s wrongdoing so this type of documentary is considered to be rhetorical. If the viewer is a republican, Moore tires to expose the Bush administrations lies and persuade them to believe what he feels are the true values of that party, money. If the viewer is a democrat, then it seems Moore is trying to convince them of how important it is to remove the current administration. This is, of course, Moore’s opinion which is a characteristic of the rhetorical documentary. However, it does make use of evidence to help prove his point even if at times this proof is bias and, perhaps, purposely misleading. The last aspect of rhetorical documentaries, appealing to the audiences emotions, is perhaps the films most powerful element because it forces the viewer to see and think about things they may not normally have to, say, watching the news. Even if one does not agree with Moores politics, they are bou nd to be touched by the stories heard and images seen in the movie. This use of emotion is a device Moore uses to present his arguments more profoundly. One such argument is viewer-centered, which simply means that the filmmaker is using emotional footage to help persuade the audience of a particular opinion. Moore shows images that do not play too often on American television. He personalizes the war in Iraq by showing the atrocities that are happening there everyday. We do hear about the U.S. soldiers that have died there but rarely are the injured ones mentioned. In the film, you get to hear their point of view on the war and about their point of view about their various injuries, from nerve damage to lost limbs. Fahrenheit 9/11 also shows the suffering of the Iraqi people themselves. He interviewed Iraqis talking about how men carry around their dead wives in their arms and showed pictures of Iraqi women with severe face and head injuries due to the misuse of napalm. It showed dead Iraqis being piled into the back of a truck, a scene not at all dissimilar or unlike some depicting the Holocaust. Moore also interviews and follows a mother whose son was killed in war, showing her crying and getting into an argument with someone who was pro-war. In all these instances, Moore wants the audience to feel deep sympathy for all the people who have been effected negatively by the war, a war started by the Bush administration. This aforementioned war moves directly into another argument for rhetorical documentaries, subject-centered arguments, meaning an argument related to the films main subject. The main argument in Fahrenheit 9/11 is that the war in Iraq was started so Bush and is political friends could get richer and cover up their own connections to 9/11 and the Bin Laden family. Moore presents this arguments in several ways. According to Moore, instead of trying to find weapons of mass destruction or protecting the Iraqi people by removing Saddam Hussein, the war was started because of how much money Bush and his associates stood to make from it. As the narrator, Moore entered President Bushs thoughts after he found out about 9/11 and asked the question â€Å"which one of them screwed me†. With this statement, Moore setting up the next few possible scenarios of who was behind the 9/11 attacks. According to Moore, when Bush determines that it is Bin Laden that was the culprit, he chose to bla me Saddam Hussein by making false accusations about him having weapons of mass destruction and a connection to Al Qaida, Bin Ladens terrorist group. Bush needed to blame Saddam Hussein because he did not want people learning about his financial and personal connections with the Bin Laden family. Saddam, it seems, was a good scapegoat because while fighting a war on Terror in Iraq, Bush and his associates could make millions of dollars for their various companies,like Unocal and Haliburton, in the process. His attempt to prove this was by providing footage of several corporations having a meeting discussing how much money they could make from the war in Iraq. The film showed scenes of both Bush Jr. and Sr. cavorting with Saudis who had invested in their various companies. To emphasize this relationship, the film showed scenes of Bush and the Saudi while playing the song Shiny Happy People by REM in the background to convince viewers how close they are. Saudi Arabia just happened to be where Bin Laden and his very wealthy family are from. The movie also states The Saudis own 7 percent of U.S. wealth and if they were to take out all of their money invested in America, U.S. economy could collapse. Telling information like this, although one-sided, does give the appearance that Moore is well informed and knowledgeable about this subject. Thus, the last argument is from source, which is presenting the film as a reliable source of information. Moore may be most adept in this argument because, in some cases, his opinion are confirmed by the very person he is saying them against. For instance, when Moore states that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, he reinforces this statement by showing Bush and members of his party saying, pre- 9/11, that Saddam has no weapons of mass destruction. Moore also used news clips from channels like CNN and FOX networks that are considered trustworthy and credible. He also supports his opinion by interviewing people in prominent positions like congressmen. Moore is also able to present himself as a believable and educated person, even if this may not be true. As the narrator, he can talk in first person making the narration more personal. Moores voice, as well as its tone, changes in relation to the topic at hand. If he is talking about soldiers, their families, or the Iraq i people his voice is filled with compassion. When talking about Bush and his friends his tone of voice is sometimes indifferent as if he were merely presenting facts, but at other times, depending on the subject, his tone would become sarcastic. Moore also proves himself to be researched and visionary when he talks about Bushs National Guard record. Moore he requested a copy of this document, which proves another connection with the Bin Ladens, in 2000 and then one in 2004, when controversy about it surfaced. In the 2004 version a name was blacked out, which was the evidence in this link between Bush and Bin Laden. This name was not marked out in the 2000 one, however. Moore is able to show that he was suspicious of Bush long before other people were. This documentary in its rhetorical form can be considered a piece of propaganda but regardless of if you agree with the opinions it expresses or believe the message trying to be conveyed, it is hard to ignore because it makes such strong accusations. Fahrenheit 9/11 is a commentary on current American life and regardless of its truth, it does send a powerful and controversial message that raises questions and does deserve discussion. This ultimately may have been Moores point. Research Papers on Fahrenheit 9/11 and Michael Moore - Intro to Film EssayWhere Wild and West MeetAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenMind TravelArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Canaanite Influence on the Early Israelite Religion

SAT Essay Rubric Full Analysis and Writing Strategies

SAT Essay Rubric Full Analysis and Writing Strategies SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips We're about to dive deep into the details of that least beloved* of SAT sections, the SAT essay. Prepare for a discussion of the SAT essay rubric and how the SAT essay is graded based on that. I'll break down what each item on the rubric means and what you need to do to meet those requirements. On the SAT, the last section you'll encounter is the (optional) essay. You have 50 minutes to read a passage, analyze the author's argument, and write an essay. If you don’t write on the assignment, plagiarize, or don't use your own original work, you'll get a 0 on your essay. Otherwise, your essay scoring is done by two graders - each one grades you on a scale of 1-4 in Reading, Analysis, and Writing, for a total essay score out of 8 in each of those three areas. But how do these graders assign your writing a numerical grade? By using an essay scoring guide, or rubric. *may not actually be the least belovà ¨d. Feature image credit: Day 148: the end of time by Bruce Guenter, used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original. The Complete SAT Essay Grading Rubric: Item-by-Item Breakdown Based on the CollegeBoard’s stated Reading, Analysis, and Writing criteria, I've created the below charts (for easier comparison across score points).For the purpose of going deeper into just what the SAT is looking for in your essay, I've then broken down each category further (with examples). The information in all three charts is taken from the College Board site. Reading The biggest change to the SAT essay (and the thing that really distinguishes it from the ACT essay) is that you are required to read and analyze a text, then write about your analysis of the author's argument in your essay. Your "Reading" grade on the SAT essay reflects how well you were able to demonstrate your understanding of the text and the author's argument in your essay. Score Reading 1 (Inadequate) The response demonstrates little or no comprehension of the source text. The response fails to show an understanding of the text’s central idea(s), and may include only details without reference to central idea(s). The response may contain numerous errors of fact and/or interpretation with regard to the text. The response makes little or no use of textual evidence (quotations, paraphrases, or both), demonstrating little or no understanding of the source text. 2 (Partial) The response demonstrates some comprehension of the source text. The response shows an understanding of the text’s central idea(s) but not of important details. The response may contain errors of fact and/or interpretation with regard to the text. The response makes limited and/or haphazard use of textual evidence (quotations, paraphrases, or both), demonstrating some understanding of the source text. 3 (Proficient) The response demonstrates effective comprehension of the source text. The response shows an understanding of the text’s central idea(s) and important details. The response is free of substantive errors of fact and interpretation with regard to the text. The response makes appropriate use of textual evidence (quotations, paraphrases, or both), demonstrating an understanding of the source text. 4 (Advanced) The response demonstrates thorough comprehension of the source text. The response shows an understanding of the text’s central idea(s) and of most important details and how they interrelate, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the text. The response is free of errors of fact or interpretation with regard to the text. The response makes skillful use of textual evidence (quotations, paraphrases, or both), demonstrating a complete understanding of the source text. You'll need to show your understanding of the text on two different levels: the surface level of getting your facts right and the deeper level of getting the relationship of the details and the central ideas right. Surface Level: Factual Accuracy One of the most important ways you can show you've actually read the passage is making sure you stick to what is said in the text. If you’re writing about things the author didn’t say, or things that contradict other things the author said, your argument will be fundamentally flawed. For instance, take this quotation from a (made-up) passage about why a hot dog is not a sandwich: â€Å"The fact that you can’t, or wouldn’t, cut a hot dog in half and eat it that way, proves that a hot dog is once and for all NOT a sandwich† Here's an example of a factually inaccurate paraphrasing of this quotation: The author builds his argument by discussing how, since hot-dogs are often served cut in half, this makes them different from sandwiches. The paraphrase contradicts the passage, and so would negatively affect your reading score. Now let's look at an accurate paraphrasing of the quotation: The author builds his argument by discussing how, since hot-dogs are never served cut in half, they are therefore different from sandwiches. It's also important to be faithful to the text when you're using direct quotations from the passage. Misquoting or badly paraphrasing the author’s words weakens your essay, because the evidence you’re using to support your points is faulty. Higher Level: Understanding of Central Ideas The next step beyond being factually accurate about the passage is showing that you understand the central ideas of the text and how details of the passage relate back to this central idea. Why does this matter? In order to be able to explain why the author is persuasive, you need to be able to explain the structure of the argument. And you can’t deconstruct the author's argument if you don’t understand the central idea of the passage and how the details relate to it. Here's an example of a statement about our fictional "hot dogs are sandwiches" passage that shows understanding of the central idea of the passage: Hodgman’s third primary defense of why hot dogs are not sandwiches is that a hot dog is not a subset of any other type of food. He uses the analogy of asking the question â€Å"is cereal milk a broth, sauce, or gravy?† to show that making such a comparison between hot dogs and sandwiches is patently illogical. The above statement takes one step beyond merely being factually accurate to explain the relation between different parts of the passage (in this case, the relation between the "what is cereal milk?" analogy and the hot dog/sandwich debate). Of course, if you want to score well in all three essay areas, you’ll need to do more in your essay than merely summarizing the author’s argument. This leads directly into the next grading area of the SAT Essay. Analysis The items covered under this criterion are the most important when it comes to writing a strong essay. You can use well-spelled vocabulary in sentences with varied structure all you want, but if you don't analyze the author's argument, demonstrate critical thinking, and support your position, you will not get a high Analysis score. Score Analysis 1 (Inadequate) The response offers little or no analysis or ineffective analysis of the source text and demonstrates little or no understanding of the analytic task. The response identifies without explanation some aspects of the author’s use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive elements, and/or feature(s) of the student’s choosing, Or numerous aspects of the response’s analysis are unwarranted based on the text. The response contains little or no support for claim(s) or point(s) made, or support is largely irrelevant. The response may not focus on features of the text that are relevant to addressing the task, Or the response offers no discernible analysis (e.g., is largely or exclusively summary). 2 (Partial) The response offers limited analysis of the source text and demonstrates only partial understanding of the analytical task. The response identifies and attempts to describe the author’s use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive elements, and/or feature(s) of the student’s own choosing, but merely asserts rather than explains their importance, or one or more aspects of the response’s analysis are unwarranted based on the text. The response contains little or no support for claim(s) or point(s) made. The response may lack a clear focus on those features of the text that are most relevant to addressing the task. 3 (Proficient) The response offers an effective analysis of the source text and demonstrates an understanding of the analytical task. The response competently evaluates the author’s use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive elements, and/or feature(s) of the student’s own choosing. The response contains relevant and sufficient support for claim(s) or point(s) made. The response focuses primarily on those features of the text that are most relevant to addressing the task. 4 (Advanced) The response offers an insightful analysis of the source text and demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the analytical task. The response offers a thorough, well-considered evaluation of the author’s use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive elements, and/or feature(s) of the student’s own choosing. The response contains relevant, sufficient, and strategically chosen support for claim(s) or point(s) made. The response focuses consistently on those features of the text that are most relevant to addressing the task. Because this category is so important, I've broken it down even further into its two different (but equally important) component parts to make sure everything is as clearly explained as possible. Part I: Critical Thinking (Logic) Critical thinking, also known as critical reasoning, also known as logic, is the skill that SAT essay graders are really looking to see displayed in the essay. You need to be able to evaluate and analyze the claim put forward in the prompt. This is where a lot of students may get tripped up, because they think â€Å"oh, well, if I can just write a lot, then I’ll do well.† While there is some truth to the assertion that longer essays tend to score higher, if you don’t display critical thinking you won’t be able to get a top score on your essay. What do I mean by critical thinking? Let's take the previous prompt example: Write an essay in which you explain how Hodgman builds an argument to persuade his audience that the hot dog cannot, and never should be, considered a sandwich. An answer to this prompt that does not display critical thinking (and would fall into a 1 or 2 on the rubric) would be something like: The author argues that hot dogs aren’t sandwiches, which is persuasive to the reader. While this does evaluate the prompt (by providing a statement that the author's claim "is persuasive to the reader"), there is no corresponding analysis. An answer to this prompt that displays critical thinking (and would net a higher score on the rubric) could be something like this: The author uses analogies to hammer home his point that hot dogs are not sandwiches. Because the readers will readily believe the first part of the analogy is true, they will be more likely to accept that the second part (that hot dogs aren't sandwiches) is true as well. See the difference? Critical thinking involves reasoning your way through a situation (analysis) as well as making a judgement (evaluation). On the SAT essay, however, you can’t just stop at abstract critical reasoning - analysis involves one more crucial step... Part II: Examples, Reasons, and Other Evidence (Support) The other piece of the puzzle (apparently this is a tiny puzzle) is making sure you are able to back up your point of view and critical thinking with concrete evidence. The SAT essay rubric says that the best (that is, 4-scoring) essay uses â€Å"relevant, sufficient, and strategically chosen support for claim(s) or point(s) made.† This means you can’t just stick to abstract reasoning like this: The author uses analogies to hammer home his point that hot dogs are not sandwiches. Because the readers will readily believe the first part of the analogy is true, they will be more likely to accept that the second part (that hot dogs aren't sandwiches) is true as well. That explanation is a good starting point, but if you don't back up your point of view with quoted or paraphrased information from the text to support your discussion of the way the author builds his/her argument, you will not be able to get above a 3 on the Analysis portion of the essay (and possibly the Reading portion as well, if you don't show you've read the passage). Let's take a look of an example of how you might support an interpretation of the author's effect on the reader using facts from the passage: The author’s reference to the Biblical story about King Solomon elevates the debate about hot dogs from a petty squabble between friends to a life-or-death disagreement. The reader cannot help but see the parallels between the two situations and thus find themselves agreeing with the author on this point. Does the author's reference to King Solomon actually "elevate the debate," causing the reader to agree with the author? From the sentences above, it certainly seems plausible that it might. While your facts do need to be correct, you get a little more leeway with your interpretations of how the author’s persuasive techniques might affect the audience. As long as you can make a convincing argument for the effect a technique the author uses might have on the reader, you’ll be good. Say whaaat?! #tbt by tradlands, used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped and color-adjusted from original. Did I just blow your mind? Read more about the secrets the SAT doesn’t want you to know in this article. Writing Your Writing score on the SAT essay is not just a reflection of your grasp of the conventions of written English (although it is that as well). You'll also need to be focused, organized, and precise. Score Writing 1 (Inadequate) The response demonstrates little or no cohesion and inadequate skill in the use and control of language. The response may lack a clear central claim or controlling idea. The response lacks a recognizable introduction and conclusion. The response does not have a discernible progression of ideas. The response lacks variety in sentence structures; sentence structures may be repetitive. The response demonstrates general and vague word choice; word choice may be poor or inaccurate. The response may lack a formal style and objective tone. The response shows a weak control of the conventions of standard written English and may contain numerous errors that undermine the quality of writing. 2 (Partial) The response demonstrates little or no cohesion and limited skill in the use and control of language. The response may lack a clear central claim or controlling idea or may deviate from the claim or idea over the course of the response. The response may include an ineffective introduction and/or conclusion. The response may demonstrate some progression of ideas within paragraphs but not throughout the response. The response has limited variety in sentence structures; sentence structures may be repetitive. The response demonstrates general or vague word choice; word choice may be repetitive. The response may deviate noticeably from a formal style and objective tone. The response shows a limited control of the conventions of standard written English and contains errors that detract from the quality of writing and may impede understanding. 3 (Proficient) The response is mostly cohesive and demonstrates effective use and control of language. The response includes a central claim or implicit controlling idea. The response includes an effective introduction and conclusion. The response demonstrates a clear progression of ideas both within paragraphs and throughout the essay. The response has variety in sentence structures. The response demonstrates some precise word choice. The response maintains a formal style and objective tone. The response shows a good control of the conventions of standard written English and is free of significant errors that detract from the quality of writing. 4 (Advanced) The response is cohesive and demonstrates a highly effective use and command of language. The response includes a precise central claim. The response includes a skillful introduction and conclusion. The response demonstrates a deliberate and highly effective progression of ideas both within paragraphs and throughout the essay. The response has a wide variety in sentence structures. The response demonstrates a consistent use of precise word choice. The response maintains a formal style and objective tone. The response shows a strong command of the conventions of standard written English and is free or virtually free of errors. Because there's a lot of different factors that go into calculating your Writing score, I've divided the discussion of this rubric area into five separate items: Precise Central Claim Organization Vocab and Word Choice Sentence Structure Grammar, Etc. Precise Central Claim One of the most basic rules of the SAT essay is that you need to express a clear opinion on the "assignment" (the prompt). While in school (and everywhere else in life, pretty much) you’re encouraged to take into account all sides of a topic, it behooves you to NOT do this on the SAT essay. Why? Because you only have 50 minutes to read the passage, analyze the author's argument, and write the essay, there's no way you can discuss every single way in which the author builds his/her argument, every single detail of the passage, or a nuanced argument about what works and what doesn't work. Instead, I recommend focusing your discussion on a few key ways the author is successful in persuading his/her audience of his/her claim. Let’s go back to the assignment we've been using as an example throughout this article: "Write an essay in which you explain how Hodgman builds an argument to persuade his audience that the hot dog cannot, and never should be, considered a sandwich." Your instinct (trained from many years of schooling) might be to answer: "There are a variety of ways in which the author builds his argument." This is a nice, vague statement that leaves you a lot of wiggle room. If you disagree with the author, it's also a way of avoiding having to say that the author is persuasive. Don't fall into this trap! You do not necessarily have to agree with the author's claim in order to analyze how the author persuades his/her readers that the claim is true. Here's an example of a precise central claim about the example assignment: The author effectively builds his argument that hot dogs are not sandwiches by using logic, allusions to history and mythology, and factual evidence. In contrast to the vague claim that "There are a variety of ways in which the author builds his argument," this thesis both specifies what the author's argument is and the ways in which he builds the argument (that you'll be discussing in the essay). Organization While it's extremely important to make sure your essay has a clear point of view, strong critical reasoning, and support for your position, that's not enough to get you a top score. You need to make sure that your essay "demonstrates a deliberate and highly effective progression of ideas both within paragraphs and throughout the essay." What does this mean? Part of the way you can make sure your essay is "well organized" has to do with following standard essay construction points. Don't write your essay in one huge paragraph; instead, include an introduction (with your thesis stating your point of view), body paragraphs (one for each example, usually), and a conclusion. This structure might seem boring, but it really works to keep your essay organized, and the more clearly organized your essay is, the easier it will be for the essay grader to understand your critical reasoning. The second part of this criteria has to do with keeping your essay focused, making sure it contains "a deliberate and highly effective progression of ideas." You can't just say "well, I have an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, so I guess my essay is organized" and expect to get a 4/4 on your essay. You need to make sure that each paragraph is also organized. Recall the sample prompt: â€Å"Write an essay in which you explain how Hodgman builds an argument to persuade his audience that the hot dog cannot, and never should be, considered a sandwich.† And our hypothetical thesis: The author effectively builds his argument that hot dogs are not sandwiches by using logic, allusions to history and mythology, and factual evidence. Let's say that you're writing the paragraph about the author's use of logic to persuade his reader that hot dogs aren't sandwiches. You should NOT just list ways that the author is logical in support of his claim, then explain why logic in general is an effective persuasive device. While your points might all be valid, your essay would be better served by connecting each instance of logic in the passage with an explanation of how that example of logic persuades the reader to agree with the author. Above all, it is imperative that you make your thesis (your central claim) clear in the opening paragraph of your essay - this helps the grader keep track of your argument. There's no reason you’d want to make following your reasoning more difficult for the person grading your essay (unless you’re cranky and don’t want to do well on the essay. Listen, I don’t want to tell you how to live your life). Vocab and Word Choice In your essay, you should use a wide array of vocabulary (and use it correctly). An essay that scores a 4 in Writing on the grading rubric â€Å"demonstrates a consistent use of precise word choice.† You’re allowed a few errors, even on a 4-scoring essay, so you can sometimes get away with misusing a word or two. In general, though, it’s best to stick to using words you are certain you not only know the meaning of, but also know how to use. If you’ve been studying up on vocab, make sure you practice using the words you’ve learned in sentences, and have those sentences checked by someone who is good at writing (in English), before you use those words in an SAT essay. Sentence Structure Creating elegant, non-awkward sentences is the thing I struggle most with under time pressure. For instance, here’s my first try at the previous sentence: â€Å"Making sure a sentence structure makes sense is the thing that I have the most problems with when I’m writing in a short amount of time† (hahaha NOPE - way too convoluted and wordy, self). As another example, take a look at these two excerpts from the hypothetical essay discussing how the author persuaded his readers that a hot dog is not a sandwich: Score of 2: "The author makes his point by critiquing the argument against him. The author pointed out the logical fallacy of saying a hot dog was a sandwich because it was meat "sandwiched" between two breads. The author thus persuades the reader his point makes sense to be agreed with and convinces them." The above sentences lack variety in structure (they all begin with the words "the author"), and the last sentence has serious flaws in its structure (it makes no sense). Score of 4: "The author's rigorous examination of his opponent's position invites the reader, too, to consider this issue seriously. By laying out his reasoning, step by step, Hodgman makes it easy for the reader to follow along with his train of thought and arrive at the same destination that he has. This destination is Hodgman's claim that a hot dog is not a sandwich." The above sentences demonstrate variety in sentence structure (they don't all begin with the same word and don't have the same underlying structure) that presumably forward the point of the essay. In general, if you're doing well in all the other Writing areas, your sentence structures will also naturally vary. If you're really worried that your sentences are not varied enough, however, my advice for working on "demonstrating meaningful variety in sentence structure" (without ending up with terribly worded sentences) is twofold: Read over what you’ve written before you hand it in and change any wordings that seem awkward, clunky, or just plain incorrect. As you’re doing practice essays, have a friend, family member, or teacher who is good at (English) writing look over your essays and point out any issues that arise. Grammar, Etc. This part of the Writing grade is all about the nitty gritty details of writing: grammar, punctuation, and spelling. It's rare that an essay with serious flaws in this area can score a 4/4 in Reading, Analysis, or Writing, because such persistent errors often "interfere with meaning" (that is, persistent errors make it difficult for the grader to understand what you're trying to get across). On the other hand, if they occur in small quantities, grammar/punctuation/spelling errors are also the things that are most likely to be overlooked. If two essays are otherwise of equal quality, but one writer misspells "definitely" as "definately" and the other writer fails to explain how one of her examples supports her thesis, the first writer will receive a higher essay score. It's only when poor grammar, use of punctuation, and spelling start to make it difficult to understand your essay that the graders start penalizing you. My advice for working on this rubric area is the same advice as for sentence structure: look over what you’ve written to double check for mistakes, and ask someone who’s good at writing to look over your practice essays and point out your errors. If you're really struggling with spelling, simply typing up your (handwritten) essay into a program like Microsoft Word and running spellcheck can alert you to problems. We've also got a great set of articles up on our blog about SAT Writing questions that may help you better understand any grammatical errors you are making. How Do I Use The SAT Essay Grading Rubric? Now that you understand the SAT essay rubric, how can you use it in your SAT prep? There are a couple of different ways. Use The SAT Essay Rubric To...Shape Your Essays Since you know what the SAT is looking for in an essay, you can now use that knowledge to guide what you write about in your essays! A tale from my youth: when I was preparing to take the SAT for the first time, I did not really know what the essay was looking for, and assumed that since I was a good writer, I’d be fine. Not true! The most important part of the SAT essay is using specific examples from the passage and explaining how they convince the reader of the author's point. By reading this article and realizing there's more to the essay than "being a strong writer," you’re already doing better than high school me. girl sleeping on a couch holding a mirror by RickBrenda Beerhorst, used under CC BY 2.0/Resized from original. Change the object in that girl’s left hand from a mirror to a textbook and you have a pretty good sketch of what my junior year of high school looked like. Use The SAT Essay Rubric To...Grade Your Practice Essays The SAT can’t exactly give you an answer key to the essay. Even when an example of an essay that scored a particular score is provided, that essay will probably use different examples than you did, make different arguments, maybe even argue different interpretations of the text...making it difficult to compare the two. The SAT essay rubric is the next best thing to an answer key for the essay - use it as a lens through which to view and assess your essay. Of course, you don’t have the time to become an expert SAT essay grader - that’s not your job. You just have to apply the rubric as best as you can to your essays and work on fixing your weak areas. For the sentence structure, grammar, usage, and mechanics stuff I highly recommend asking a friend, teacher, or family member who is really good at (English) writing to take a look over your practice essays and point out the mistakes. If you really want custom feedback on your practice essays from experienced essay graders, may I also suggest the PrepScholar test prep platform? I manage the essay grading and so happen to know quite a bit about the essay part of this platform, which gives you both an essay grade and custom feedback for each essay you complete. Learn more about how it all works here. What’s Next? Are you so excited by this article that you want to read even more articles on the SAT essay? Of course you are. Don't worry, I’ve got you covered. Learn how to write an SAT essay step-by-step and read about the 6 types of SAT essay prompts. Want to go even more in depth with the SAT essay? We have a complete list of past SAT essay prompts as well as tips and strategies for how to get a 12 on the SAT essay. Still not satisfied? Maybe a five-day free trial of our very own PrepScholar test prep platform (which includes essay practice and feedback) is just what you need. Trying to figure out whether the old or new SAT essay is better for you? Take a look at our article on the new SAT essay assignment to find out! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by SAT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

Journal Article (Current event on Wall Street Journal) Essay - 1

Journal Article (Current event on Wall Street Journal) - Essay Example Smaller changes in the tax policy are supposedly getting in, and as a result of tax changes, there will be a direct implication on the economy. Sparshott elaborates that there is an expectation that there will be a shrink in the gross domestic product, which has an enormous implication on the economy by an estimate of 0.9 percent (7). The conjecture incorporates the full connotation of the fiscal cliff. More research as seen in the article by Sparshott indicates that there is an economic consequence of going over the fiscal cliff, and a much higher probability of staying off the cliff which many analysts and economist have ignored over time (8). To calm the nerves of the people who rely on the economy of the nation for their well-being, Sparshott explains that there is hope still, and there is a thin line separating the achievement of the fiscal plan and the current conditions (7). Further research by renowned researchers according to Sparshott indicates that economists figure that the economy of the nation is more stable and will survive (7). This is an indication of the fact that the country’s economy will be stable enough for the investors to risk a huge amount of money into the country. This assurance by researchers does not concur with many estimates by renowned analysts. However, the case is totally different in consideration to other analysts who indicate that the economy has an extensive process ahead so as to stabilize. In this case, the chances of survival of the country’s economy are negotiable. To back this argument, it is recommended to assess the entire state of the economy not a section of it. In this case, the assumption that the economy is stable is for the reason that there is a notable improvement in the housing market recovery. This recovery consequently leads to a steady fall in the level of unemployment which further leads t o a solidifying bank leading

Moon Melding Made Titan a Chimera Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Moon Melding Made Titan a Chimera - Essay Example It is clear from the paper that Titan does not have a magnetic field and at times it orbits around the magnetosphere of Saturn. This makes the Titan not to be exposed to the Solar winds. Solar winds are known to remove and ionize the atmosphere’s particles. Since Titan has a dense atmosphere that has hydrocarbons, scientists predicted that Titan has lakes of ethane and liquid methane on the surface. Voyager encountered the moon in 1980 and in 1981. The scientist was not in a position to see beneath the thick layer of the cloud. 25 years, spacecraft of Cassini was able to see the clouds and mapped the surface of the moon. The Radar images proved that Titan has a liquid lake. In summary, Titan was discovered by Christian Huygens in 1655. The diameter of the moon is 5151 km with 1,221,850 km from the Saturn. The rotational and orbital period of the moon is 15.9 days, with an orbital eccentricity and inclination of 0.0292 and 0.33 degrees respectively. Additionally, the moon has m ean surface temperature of -178 degree Celsius with a main atmospheric component of Nitrogen.

DQ1_WK5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

DQ1_WK5 - Essay Example This report provides marketing strategies recommendation for three different products each of which is at a different stage in its life cycle. The first product showcased is Apple’s iPhone. This product is currently introductory or birth stage of its life cycle. The iPhone was the first smart phone with full multimedia capabilities such as internet connectivity that came out in the marketplace. Its touch screen functionality made it very unique. When it was introduced the company took a good first step which was signing as exclusivity contract with A&TT to test the marketplace. A prestigious mobile carrier with 3G infrastructure provided the company with a good partner to introduce the product. The pricing for this product was pretty steep when it came out which limited the demand for the product. The product needs an aggressive marketing campaign in multiple media channels in which the price of the item is deeply discounted to cost $99 or lower. The purpose of this strategy is to penetrate the marketplace and increase market share. Other competitors came out with smart phones which are as good as the iPhone, thus t he luxury price of $500 that apple charged for the product in its inception is no longer viable The second product to be analyzed is Panasonic’s HDTV. The HDTV is currently in the growth phase of its life cycle. Digital televisions sets currently have favorable regulatory market conditions. In February 2009 all the entire television industry is going digital and the analog signal will be gone forever in the United States marketplace (Dtv, 2009). The demand for this product is going to increase. A good marketing strategy for Panasonic is to increase its distribution channels by adding the product to the shelves of more retailers nationwide. The pricing can be lowered a bit to take advantage of the holiday season boost, but there is no need for deep discounting as in the case of the iPhone

Arguments Participation Paper 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Arguments Participation Paper 1 - Assignment Example They mock at the racial inequality as dust gets settled on both the white and the black. The economic exploitation and indifferent treatment toward the tunnel workers are evident in the lines 9-12. Muriel has been a social activist taking her poetry to the level of political statements. She has worked for the cause of various political and social issues during her time. In her poem, â€Å"George Robinson: Blues†, she depicts the gruesome, inhuman life of the black tunnel workers in the town of Gauley Bridge. The town is characterized as the â€Å"Negro town† sarcastically, as it does not own them but disowns them by sending tunnel workers in bulk to the cemetery on top of the hill. George, the speaker presents an insider’s view of the life in the tunnel. White dust settling on the blacks deconstructs the racial coding and makes it difficult for the outsider to identify the ‘white’. The tunnel worker, masked in white dust, proceeds gradually toward the graveyard in the top of the hill left unattended by doctors. They are not provided with the basic medical facilities nor are cared for by the authorities. They are left to die so inhuman. He says how the workers die in huge numbers due to the unhealthy working conditions. â€Å"Did you ever bury thirty-five men in a place in back of your  house/thirty-five tunnel workers the doctors didnt attend/ died in the tunnel camps, under rocks, everywhere, world/ without end† (9) ironically portray how inhuman the tunnel workers are looked upon. It is very clear that the tunnel workers are commodities looked upon only for utility and when they turn sick and not fit to work and turn over profit, the authorities step in only to remove them from the job. George says, â€Å"when he couldnt keep going barely/the Cap and company come and run him off the job surely† (15). The poet has depicted the social picture of the tunnel workers in the voice of an

Internet Banking in Malaysia and Singapore Essay

Internet Banking in Malaysia and Singapore - Essay Example The Companies that understand the benefits of introducing Internet based business techniques are transforming their business processes to Internet based business. This trend has also effected the process of traditional retailing through outlets. There has been a considerable research on the effects of online sale on traditional business methods and consumer behaviour for example (Sindhav and Balazs, 1999; Reardon, 2002). The main aim of the paper is to summarise what has been written so far about on line sale and its impact and to propose a methodological approach in order to conduct a research concerning the Impact of e-commerce security, and national environment on consumer adoption of Internet banking in Malaysia and Singapore. The regression analyses suggested that consumer perceived non-repudiation, trust relative advantage Internet experience and banking needs are the most important factors that affect adoption in Malaysia. While Internet experience and banking needs were found to significantly affect Internet banking adoption in Singapore. Last two decades have seen multi-fold progress in the use of Internet. (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2000; USIC and IITA, 2000). Nua Internet Surveys have reported an increment in the number of Internet users globally, statistics state the users are increased in all regions of the world from 171 million in 1999 to 304 million in March 2000, an increase of 78 percent (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2000; USIC and IITA, 2000). The accessibility of the consumers to different products and services has also been increased. In order to respond to the changing needs of the customers businesses are also applying new techniques to capture a vast market, (Ram et. al., 1999). The advent of Internet has also changed the way of undertaking business. With the increase in the number of users the companies find it cost effective and easy to reach a mass market through Internet as compare to the traditional methods of addressing the customers. Especially in the developed countries the role of Internet has become crucial in designing the business strategy of a company. On the other hand at the consumers side Internet has provide them with an array of products and choices available. The approach of business is also changed. (Zwass, 1996). Through Internet the competition has also increased which put pressure on the manufactures to keep the prices low. Furthermore, the businesses, which are using on line selling approach, do not have to face the geographical constraints; a large no of customers can be addressed with undertaking a single effort (U.S. Department of Commerce, 1999). The advantages attached to the notion of Internet have made it the most important driving force of the business revolution. Like all the other Internet based business processes online shopping is gaining popularity among people due to its characteristics of easy access, 24 hours availability, current Information and price reduction. In the busy world of 21st century the tradition of on line shopping has become necessity. The increase in the importance has also given rise to different challenges, which need to be addressed in an effective manner. The researcher has identified different standards, which should be fulfilled by the businesses in o rder to respond

Arguments Participation Paper 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Arguments Participation Paper 1 - Assignment Example They mock at the racial inequality as dust gets settled on both the white and the black. The economic exploitation and indifferent treatment toward the tunnel workers are evident in the lines 9-12. Muriel has been a social activist taking her poetry to the level of political statements. She has worked for the cause of various political and social issues during her time. In her poem, â€Å"George Robinson: Blues†, she depicts the gruesome, inhuman life of the black tunnel workers in the town of Gauley Bridge. The town is characterized as the â€Å"Negro town† sarcastically, as it does not own them but disowns them by sending tunnel workers in bulk to the cemetery on top of the hill. George, the speaker presents an insider’s view of the life in the tunnel. White dust settling on the blacks deconstructs the racial coding and makes it difficult for the outsider to identify the ‘white’. The tunnel worker, masked in white dust, proceeds gradually toward the graveyard in the top of the hill left unattended by doctors. They are not provided with the basic medical facilities nor are cared for by the authorities. They are left to die so inhuman. He says how the workers die in huge numbers due to the unhealthy working conditions. â€Å"Did you ever bury thirty-five men in a place in back of your  house/thirty-five tunnel workers the doctors didnt attend/ died in the tunnel camps, under rocks, everywhere, world/ without end† (9) ironically portray how inhuman the tunnel workers are looked upon. It is very clear that the tunnel workers are commodities looked upon only for utility and when they turn sick and not fit to work and turn over profit, the authorities step in only to remove them from the job. George says, â€Å"when he couldnt keep going barely/the Cap and company come and run him off the job surely† (15). The poet has depicted the social picture of the tunnel workers in the voice of an

Microeconomics Article Summary Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Microeconomics Article Summary Assignment - Essay Example Prior to the fall in share price were speculations by three stock exchange experts that offered lower values for the company’s prices. Further speculations noted that the set prices for the newly launched handsets were not as low as Apple claimed, with concerns that such a price level could not attract customers into purchasing the product. iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C were the launched products that yielded the change in stock prices and the company was to stop sales of its previous model of iPhone 5 (Woollaston 1). Another major aspect of the article is claim of dishonesty against Apple as critics noted that while the company presented the product at a cheaper price of $ 99 value, the company did not disclose that this was a contract term with undisclosed monthly payment. China is one of the major markets for Apple but the high price that equals Chinese monthly average salaries may limit the company and its product’s popularity in the country. Existence of other major comp etitors, such as Samsung, in the Chinese market is another threat to the new product launch and its price because they contributed to loss in market control in China to firms like ‘Huawei,’ Lenovo, and Coopland. The new launch also failed to capture immediate interest in the United Kingdom because no companies offered contracts. Besides inability to capture new markets, Apple has lost market control to Samsung. Apple has also reported reduced profit margin in its second quarter though its share price has been fluctuating. The major concern to the company’s trends, as the author reports, is its inability or lack of desire to offer affordable products to its customers (Woollaston 1). Relationship between the article and course concepts Key to the article’s theme is the change in stock price of Apple following announcement of its new products, iPhone 5S and iPhone 5c and the main factor to the shift in stock prices is speculations by brokers and investorsâ₠¬â„¢ perception of Apple’s pricing strategy and potential market control. These factors relate to the course concepts of demand and supply with focus on demand for Apple’s stock. Demand is one of the factors that affect price and increase in demand, with other factors kept constant, leads to increase in a commodity’s prices while decrease in demand identifies with fall in prices. This explains the fall in price of Apple’s shares following announcement of release of the new product and suggest that investors lost interest in the company. Claims by investors that the company is not keen on offering competitive prices confirm this. Another major theme in the article that relates it to the course concepts of microeconomics is the demand for the company’s products into its market control and its profitability. Microeconomic principles of demand provides that price of complementary and supplementary products, people’s income, competition, and expe ctations dictates demand of a commodity and the article identifies all these factors. Apple’s share is a complementary commodity to the company’s product and this is evident as announcement of iPhone prices leads to reduction in share price. Prices of other phone models that are relatively cheaper have also led to un-competitiveness of Apple towards lost market control and poor profitability. Other factors to demand, based on the course concepts, are also applicable to the article and people’

Hawthorne effect Essay Example for Free

Hawthorne effect Essay In today’s competitive climate lots of business owners are trying to get more from their workforce at the same time however their employees are trying to get more from their jobs. Reward and recognition programmes are one way that employers can motivate their staff into changing their key behaviors and work habits, thus benefitting the business. At the same time these schemes can also give the employee that little bit extra they are looking for from job. Motivation and reward are closely linked and there have been many credible theories written on the subject. It is widely recognised that human beings have a need to feel valued, both in their home lives and in the work place. To keep people motivated they need to be encouraged, rewarded (where appropriate) or recognised in their endeavors. One of the most valued of the motivation theories was written by Abraham Maslow from the USA back in the 1950’s. As part of his study into motivation Maslow developed a five tiered hierarchy of needs. He argued that the way to motivate individuals in the workplace and indeed in life is to satisfy the need sets one by one and in order. The first of the need sets and the most basic are the biological and physiological needs. These are survival requirements ingrained into us and evolved with mankind for tens of thousands of years, things such as food, shelter, warmth etc. In Maslow’s model it’s these needs that need to be satisfied before anything else, for example there is little point offering status as a motivator, when the individual has not yet satisfied basic requirements such as achieving a livable wage in order to eat, secure shelter etc. Reward Systems Peformance at Mark-it-Down Co Ltd is not what it should be and it has been decided between senior mangement and the Human Resources department that the introduction of a reward scheme is whats required to motivate the workforce and improve performance overall. The team in charge of deciding on the reward system to implement have come up up with the following suggestions: Variable Pay/Bonus Scheme A scheme of variable pay is one possible solution for the supermarket. In this scheme a portion of the employee’s pay would be considered at risk. This portion of the wage will be rewarded according to the performance of the company as a whole, on the basis of personal acheivement or based on the results of a department or team (this would probably be the most effective for this type of commercial business) Targets will be set at the beginning of a specified period (per annum is the common period) at the end of this period depending on the how well the targets have been met, a percentage or full quantity of the â€Å"at risk† part of their pay will be paid to the individual. This payment could take a few different forms, possibly a cash bonus, a quantity of stock or shares in the business. Whilst monetary reward has been proven to be effective and can encourage hard work amongst a team or individually, it has the disadvantage of impacting on profit made by the supermarket, for example if the grocery team meet their target for keeping the produce displays replenished to a defined level, then the whole grocery team will have earnt the bonus which must be paid from the profits. You also may have a situation where part of the workforce become demotivated, if their team or they personally have missed out on a bonus. Bonus and pay based rewards are considered differently depending on which motivation theory you study. For example in Maslows hierachy of needs, financial remuneration is only mentioned within the first tier of the hierachy which covers the most basic and obvious survival needs (physiological needs) Money was not considered by Maslow be a long term motivator. Frederick Herzberg considered financial reward to be amongst his â€Å"hygiene factors† that is that money in itself is not a motivator but actually will only act as a â€Å"dissatisfier† if the individual feels that their financial expectations and requirements of the role are not being met. In contrast to Maslow and Herzberg, John Stacey Adams might have argued that bonus schemes and pay related rewards can indeed be effective motivators. If the individual percieves that they are gettting a fair input to output balance in comparison to their peers eg, works hard (input) for a pay bonus (output) However that motivation through financial reward might not last. If the individual learns that a colleague or peer is benefiting from a better input to output ratio (eg doesn’t work as hard, but gets paid more) then the individual can quickly become dissatisfied. Promotion The introduction of a promotion programme could be a viable option. If the employee’s are aware that there is a realistic opportunity for them to progress within Mark It Down Co then they will likely feel motivated towards improving their standard of work in the hope that they will be one of the employee’s chosen for promotion. Maslow’s heierachy of needs supports promotion as a motivator, however depending on the person promotion/status as a form of motivation might be quite high up on the tiers and as such it would only work if the tiers below have already been satisfied. There could be several downsides to this however; often with promotion comes a rise in salary for the individual, which will of course impact on any profit made by the supermarket. There might also be a risk of a culture developing within the company whereby individuals take the attitude that they are â€Å"out for themselves† Employee of the Month One of the suggested recognition programmes is an employee of the month scheme. The idea is that all employee’s and managers are provided with a brief form to be used to nominate an employee that they believe deserves recognition (they should also explain the reasons behind there nomination) Due to the nominations for employee of the month being business wide not only is the playing field for recognition level, but there is the scope for recognising excellance in all of the different area’s of the organisation. This reward system could be as low or high cost as Mark it Down Co directors see fit. There is support for this type of recognition reward in Elton Mayo’s Hawthorne Effect theory. Following his studies of workplace behaviour at the Hawthorne Plant Chicago in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s Mayo deduced that emotional factors acted as far better motivators than economical ones, as such a reward scheme of this nature could be very effective indeed, not to mention low cost. On the downside employee of the mon th schemes can have a tendancy to be considered a little cheesy and may require a little effort on the part of the programme managers in order to keep all of the staff motivated to particiate by completing the nomination slips. Pass on Praise Something as simple as passing on positive comments you have heard about an employee direct to the individual can have an extremely motivational effect. Again the hawthorne effect supports this belief. The praise could passed on by way of email, copying in managers or even with a visit to a senior managers office in order to receive thanks directly. The main advantage of this idea is that it costs nothing and is extremely easy to implement, however it may not be enough on its own, I would suggest that this tactic be used in conjunction with one of the other employee recognition schemes. All of the afore mentioned reward options have the potential to be effective, however the success of the chosen scheme could have a lot to do with the indviduals in nbeed of motivation. For instance in McGregors theory, the two employee types, X and Y differ greatly. What might motivate a Y employee (someone that is naturally happy to take on repsponsibilty and excepts work as part of life) might have the opposite effect on an employee of the X variety (someone that’s avoids repsonsibility and needs to be heavily supervised. The type of employee’s to be motivated should be considered before a motivation and reward scheme is decided upon. Monitoring Performance There are various ways to monitor the performance of your workforce. In the supermarket setting of Mark it Down Co, these could be; Physical: the number of sales made, the number of employee’s served, punctuality or attendance. There can be no disputing these types of performance indicators they are unambiguous and offer a realistic insight into the performance of a team or individual. Qualiative: these indicators are based on opinions and judgements (the view of a supervisor or the such like). These indicators are just as important as physical ones but managers should be careful to ensure that any measures of performance are considered fair by both the employees and employers. Goals and Targets Performance measurement can also be linked to the companies appraisal system, that is performance can be measured by assessing progress made on targets and goals agreed at the previous review. Appraisals are valuable in this respect. In order to effectively monitor performance in this way it is important to ensure that your employees are aware of the difference between target and goal. Goals: These are long term ambitions that should relate to the individual aims for progressing within the company. Targets: These are the steps taken in order to achieve the goal. There is an acronym that can act as a guide for the criteria that any targets should adhere to. They should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound. There is little point setting targets outside of these parameters. Monitoring progress towards identified goals and objectives as a way of determining who deserves reward does have its pros and cons though. On the one hand it can be considered an easily measurable method of monitoring performance, but on the other (particularly when the goals and targets have been set for a team or group) it could be argued that the fact that a company/team or individual is achieving its set goals and targets is not a true indication of who has made the most effort towards making that happen and as such is not an effective method for identifying who should qualify for reward. This is an important thing to consider when applying motivation and reward schemes, as an incorrect or ill managed monitoring technique could be costly to a business. For example a company will not want to be handing out cash bonuses to a whole team for reaching a set goal if it transpires that 3 out of 5 team members have made no improvement to their work output and had nothing to do with the team’s progress or achievement! When considering target setting as a way of monitoring progress and establishing where reward, praise or recognition should be given, serious thought should be given to how the company plans on pinpointing exactly who has been responsible for progress, both positive and negative. Benchmarking Another way to monitor company performance is to measure its successes and failures against those of other businesses in the same market. For example Mark it Down Co could measure its sales figures against one of its competitors, Lidl for instance. This method is known as bench marking and it’s all about taking the best practices of the highest achieving businesses in the same market and applying them back in the business in question. Job Evaluation Its has been brought to management attention that one of the employee’s at Mark it Down Co believes that he is receiving less salary for the same work as one of his peers. The following two methods can be used to evaluate the jobs of the individuals in question in order to assess whether theses concerns are justified or not. Job Ranking Job ranking is one of the simplest methods of job evaluation. Its considers the job as a whole and ranks it against another whole job within the organisation. This is usually carried out by the raters comparing the jobs using their general knowledge of the roles themselves. The jobs are ranked in order of the difficulty of the job itself or the importance of the role to the company. The procedure is followed for each department and then a comparison of jobs at all levels is made and jobs are given grade levels which define salary groups. The job ranking method is easily understood by all employees and simple to administer, however it does have its disadvantages, this technique is not really suitable for large organisations with complex structures where its is much harder to gain familiarity with all of the job roles. With this in mind it is probably not the solution that should be used at Mark it Down Co Ltd. Point Factor Method The point factor method establishes job values by assigning points to each area within a group of defined factors, below are some examples but there any many different factors that could be defined further and given points in order to be used for job evaluation; Skill: Within this group there might be points available for, experience or training. Effort: The points available for effort might be divided between mental and physical effort. In this method each job is rated using the defined points system. The points are totaled to form the final score for that particular role. From there jobs are grouped into salary grades (jobs with similar points ratings would be placed together in the same salary grade) This method can be tailored to meet the needs of specific companies and is suitable for use within larger organisations where there are a large number of jobs to evaluate. It’s an easy model to work with once it’s in place but can be very expensive and time consuming to develop in the first instance. In my opinion the point factor method would be a the better job evaluation model to use for Mark it Down Co. Job ranking is just too simplistic to cope with the amount of individuals roles at this organisation. The factors I think should be used to develop the point system are as follows; Skill – Experience, Training, Ability, Education Responsibilities – Monetary, Supervisory, Reporting Effort – Mental, Physical Environment – Job Location, Hazard’s In order to establish if the employee in question has a case for querying the wage he is on in comparison to his colleague. His overall score for the above factors should be calculated in order to establish his pay bracket. If the pay grade is the same as that of his colleague then his concerns are justified and his wage should be brought into line. If it is not and he is in a lower wage group then there is no case for a wage increase. Equally if the individuals wage bracket is determined to be higher than that of his colleagues then his wage should be adjusted to reflect as much.